Whether your child is down with the flu, attending a school sports tour, or you’re simply taking an early long weekend, letting your scholar transport operator know they don’t need to make a pick-up is vital.
In the chaotic rush of South African mornings, frantic WhatsApp messages or missed phone calls while your driver is trying to navigate traffic can lead to missed connections and delayed routes for other kids.
To make things seamless, the Scholar Rides app includes a built-in "Manage Skip Days" feature. This allows you to log absences ahead of time, immediately updating your driver’s schedule. Here is exactly how to use it.
Step 1: Open the "Calendars" Shortcut
When you log into the Scholar Rides home screen, look at the pull-up dashboard containing your registered children. On the top right of this section, you will see a Calendars shortcut button.
Tap the Calendars icon to get started.
Step 2: Select Your Child
Once inside the Manage Skip Days screen, you will see a clean list of all your children registered on the platform, along with their respective schools (such as Lenasia South Secondary or Brackenhurst Primary).
Tap on the down arrow v or the name of the child whose schedule you want to update.
The card will expand to reveal the interactive calendar interface.
Step 3: Choose Your Mode (All Day, Morning, or Afternoon)
Scholar transport in South Africa isn’t always a two-way requirement every single day. Sometimes your child might need a lift to school in the morning, but you are picking them up yourself after afternoon extra-murals.
Scholar Rides accommodates this flexibility perfectly. At the top of the calendar, select one of three tabs depending on your needs:
All Day: Marks your child absent for both the morning pick-up and afternoon drop-off trips.
Morning: Skips the morning school run only.
Afternoon: Skips the afternoon journey home only.
💡 Important App Context: If you select a specific mode (e.g., Morning mode), the app will remind you: "Selected: Morning trips. Tap dates to mark as skip days."
Step 4: Tap the Calendar Dates to Skip
Once your mode is selected, simply look at the current month's calendar grid and tap on the dates your child will be away.
Understanding the Calendar Key
The interface changes color based on the selections you have made, ensuring you can audit your child's transport schedule at a single glance:
Blue Borders (WK): Indicates standard weekend days where no school trips are scheduled.
Solid Red Circles (M / A): Indicates a specific trip skip. For example, a red circle with an "M" means the morning trip is skipped for that specific date.
Solid Grey Circles (All): This means the date has already been marked for an All Day absence in a different mode.
⚠️ Pro-Tip: If you see a greyed-out date and want to change it back to a single trip, a helpful banner will pop up at the bottom reminding you: "This date is already marked for all day. Switch to the All Day tab to edit it."
Why Using Skip Days Changes the Game
By taking 10 seconds to update the calendar in your app, you are directly helping the transport ecosystem:
Saves Fuel: Drivers can optimize their routes and bypass your neighborhood completely if no kids are scheduled, saving them fuel.
Improves Punctuality: The van won't sit idling outside your gate waiting for a child who isn't coming, ensuring the other scholars arrive at school well before the morning bell rings.
Enhances Safety: Your driver can keep their focus completely on the road instead of checking incoming texts for last-minute cancellations.
